An Interview with Louise Allen
Iowa is a wonderful place to live usually but, sometimes, along in January, even the most loyal Iowan does entertain daydreams of places where temperatures are warm and flowers are blooming; of cruising on blue waters and playing on warm sand beaches. Happily, today many lowans actually can escape the frigid temperatures and hassles with the snow and storms of winter by traveling to places that are like those in our daydreams. Where doing those things was once possible only for the wealthy, today thanks to advancements and changes in transportation over the years, many can and do, enjoy the excitement and fun of travel, near and far. Improvements in communication and good planning can eliminate most of the hassle and inconvenience that often marred travel in earlier times. Very often, that good planning is accomplished through the efforts of something called your travel agency. One of the very earliest travel agencies, as such, here in our whole North Iowa area was the Allen Travel Agency at Clear Lake. We have as a guest in our studio today Mrs. Al Allen, who with her late husband, founded an agency that not only pioneered the travel agency business, but grew to an operation that had branch agency franchises in 20 other cities at one time.
Welcome, Louise and thank you for coming to share your story with us this morning. It’s always nice to know a little about our guests as we visit. Have you always lived in Clear Lake?
No, the first 17 years of my life I spent in the little town of Swaledale, Iowa. After Business College, I worked in the insurance office of Mr. Carl Snyder for 14 years.
And that was here in Mason City? Yes
And how did you and Al get together?
Al came as a young man to the Ritz Restaurant on the other side of the lake working for the man who bought the Ritz and later became associated with Mr. Ritz and purchased the Ritz and he ran that until 1945.
You also owned a motel.
In the meantime, then we purchased the Hilltop Motel and stayed there, and it still stands here and it was in there we started the tourist industry.
How did you come to get interested in the travel business?
It is sort of a long story but one evening when we were in a bridge game with Mr. Snyder, my former employer, and Mrs. Snyder. He happened to make the remark that a certain man in Mason City had been offered a trip to Europe. But he said that it just took so many arrangements after he got there that he didn’t think he would make the trip. That was the end of that conversation. But later in the evening my husband made the remark that he wished someone would offer him a trip to Europe. He would get there somehow no matter where he stayed. Then a little later he made the remark that why don’t we get into this travel business.
And that was when?
That was about 1950.
And there was no other travel agency as such in the area at this time?
There were none in the area.
Were there any planes coming in?
There was a small airport and Mid-Continent Airlines was flying a small plane in and out of there at that time but we were really unfamiliar with the operation because we had never been interested before in this type of business.
And you said that Al went out and talked to them at the airport and what did he find out?
He went out to the airport and did make arrangements to have the sales manager of Braniff Airlines who would fly through there occasionally to drop in and see us. And from there we wanted to get the ideas of how to start an agency. This did happen.
Did they give you much hope at the time for potential in Clear Lake?
Well, no, he gave us no hope at all. Basically, he said there was no potential in Clear Lake at that time, didn’t think it would ever develop and it would also cost the airline too much money to set up an agency. It would involve dues and brochures and fare books and all that which they didn’t think would pay out in Clear Lake.
By then you said you had sold the Ritz and were just running the motel. Al had lots of time, especially in the winter, and what was his hobby?
Well, the biggest hobby was reading. He loved history and geography. One winter he read the Bible to find out about the Holy Land and we took the Holiday magazine which was full of travel information and that all that sort of thing which later on helped him in the development of the travel business.
You said that winter you went to Florida at Christmastime and really looked around down there. Then when you got home you did proceed actually a little more with the business.
He was so determined to get into the travel business that we once again asked for the Braniff sales manager to call on us. And finally, after a lengthy discussion he said, “Well we will give you a try.” And that was all we needed really to set up.
How about the ship lines – that was a popular mode of travel at the time?
Meantime, while all the air was being set up we did get in touch and did get various contracts with steamship companies which was the big business in those days in 1951.
Where was your office at that time?
This motel had a little screened in porch which had been winterized. We had a little library table and we both set up there to start this travel business with of course was doing nothing you might say.
Who was your first customer?
There was a little gentleman in Clear Lake, I call him little, he was a small man a little Dane who wanted to go back to his homeland and that was our first booking on a steamship. We were very excited but it was the means to figure out how to make a steamship booking. We completed the booking and unfortunately 3 days before the steamship was to leave this gentleman had a heart attack and was never able to make the trip.
You mentioned that Bill Burkhardt from the Clear Lake Bakery was another one of your early customers.
Yes, he was, and that is what really started us out in the travel business. He wanted to bring quite a number of families over from Germany to work in the bakery. All arrangements had to be made over in Germany for their departure for the states and their arrival here and their livelihood; had to be met by Mr. Burkhardt. We brought quite a few families over. It was a good experience, and it really led us to believe that a travel agency would succeed in Clear Lake.
Did you do any traveling yourselves during those early days?
We didn’t start really traveling until 1954. We attended the International Travel Agency Convention in Sam Francisco. We had joined them at that time, and they offered a trip after the convention to Japan and Hong Kong and of course my husband was determined to go on the trip.
I didn’t know if I wanted to do it or not because we had a small family of 3 children at that time, but I did decide to join him on the trip, which I have never regretted because it was a wonderful experience…
Do you have any special memories of that very first trip that might be pretty different from travel today?
Well not too many things happened on that particular trip because of the fact it was all arranged and conducted by local tour operators. We were taken care of at all times and all places.
There were no jet planes then.
They were all prop planes, which we thought were great of course, but the trips were long, the planes were noisy, but we thought that was the best there was, so we didn’t give it a second thought.
Another trip that I thought would be interesting would be the trip Al took to Europe to do some footwork for the agency.
Yes, we had a little agreement that I would take a Caribbean cruise and then when I returned, he would go on this familiarization tour of Europe which he did. Unfortunately, I was sick on my trip, but he made his trip to Europe. He took the tours that were available, he stayed in the hotels which were good hotels because he thought that was what we would be selling and he rode the trains all through Europe for about 2 months. It was a good experience that helped him in selling Europe later on.
Well by 1956, you were planning and taking off on a trip around the world. This is only about 6 years after beginning your travel agency. So, you’d come a long way since your beginning days. How did you make travel and arrangements for hotels and transportation in countries where you weren’t familiar?
That trip all had to be arranged simply by correspondence. Today it is all done with 800 numbers, you might say but, in those days, we had to write the hotels and make all the arrangements and all the tour companies so that we could take tours in all the places that we visited. But we decided a trip around the world would familiarize ourselves with a lot more places than if we did one trip at a time. We were gone 45 days on that trip.
Everything went well?
Everything went well with a few incidents, no doubt, here and there but everything went well but it was a new experience for us and a very fun trip.
It is always fun to stop about halfway through our program for a music break and today in honor of the Allens and because Hawaii has always been a favorite spot we are going to listen to Blue Hawaii.
MUSIC BREAK
One romantic way of travel that practically ended was the deluxe steamship crossing over the Atlantic Ocean. In a recent 25-years ago column in the Clear Lake paper I read that you and your husband and children had gone to Europe via steamship. That would have been about 1958. Most of us have probably read stories about those Atlantic crossings but what were they really like?
Well, they were very good. We took our family, ages 6, 10 and 12 the first time. There was only one exception. I became seasick on both crossings. I was seasick most of the time. But the family enjoyed the trip with ping pong and children’s entertainment, and everybody seemed to be enjoying the trip except me. But nevertheless, it was great. We travelled to Europe by train staying in nice hotels, which they used to be quite receptive to travel agents. Today it’s a little different story.
How about the food?
The food was very good. The food was exceptional on the ships. The children could order 1 dessert, and they would bring 4 or 5 desserts and always aimed to please the children.
Do you remember how long it took?
It took 7 to 8 days to make the crossing each way. On the return trip we traveled on the Liberate which was the final crossing for that ship. We were quite happy to be on it. It was a very good
ship but it was completely worn out, so to speak.
I know it has been a long time, but do you remember anything about how much the fare might have been?
I can’t remember the fares exactly, but it probably was in the neighborhood of $1500 a round trip.
You said today they do something about that seasick situation?
Yes fortunately, I do take cruises now. I had never even been able to even cruise because of the seasickness, but they have a drug that you put behind your ear. It’s about the size of a dime and resembles a band-aid. You put that behind your ear, and it takes care of everything as far as I was concerned. I have taken several cruises now using that whether it is effective with everyone, but I know it is effective with me.
Makes it wonderful, isn’t it?
Yes, it is.
Let’s get back from actual traveling to the Allen Travel Agency business and see how it’s doing.
Well as we were going along, Mr. Allen and I developed the branch offices and in order to do so, the people running these branch offices had to come into our office for 2 years for the experience until what they considered an approved office. From there they started their own offices. But in the meantime we would be supplying them with their tickets, their reservations, and so forth which turned out to be a very big job for the 2 of us but being determined we did do it and fortunately our oldest son, John decided he would like to enter the travel business with his father and he did. And a few years later our younger son, Jay, decided he would like to be a travel agent, so he joined us in business. He has been there 10 years now and John has been there 16 years, and they are fully acquainted with the travel business.
The branch agencies were they in Iowa or where were they located?
Most of them were in Iowa. We had 3 offices in Kansas. That was the only out of state ones. They were all run by good managers, and we still have some of them today.
When the jet planes came in, did that make quite a difference in air travel?
Well yes, I think it did. People liked the jets because they are quiet and you could get there faster.
It was still long hard work and long hard hours. I think you said the tickets were mostly all done by hand. Did you have to phone for reservations?
We phoned for reservations. They would advise us in about 2 or 3 days if the reservation had been confirmed. Then we would hand write the ticket but today we are computerized. Completely computerized in our office and the reservations are secured on the computer and we have machines that print up the itinerary and the ticket all in one operation.
You know immediately?
We know immediately if there is space and if someone comes in for a ticket, we can do the whole thing in less than 5 minutes. We’ll have you all on your way to your destination.
Now I know that you line up tours; do you escort the tours yourself?
We have escorted tours but today we don’t do much of that because we usually handle those through a tour company. But we have escorted tours. Mr. Allen had the honor at one time of taking the Trade Mission with Governor Ray to Europe. They stayed three weeks. We did escort a few to Hawaii to Cartagena and various places but we feel a tour company engaged in that particular field does a better job than we can do personally.
The Allen Travel Agency has been a very successful one and I think that maybe Al’s philosophy of business might contribute to that. Why don’t you tell us a little about that?
Yes, because of his interest in that particular line of work we were confined to the motel in the evenings because of the motel operation so we decided we might just as well sell travel in the evening as guests closed our office in late afternoon. It was a time when couples could get away to talk about travel. So, we just started out that way and we still continue to do it.
Long hours?
Yes 8-10 pm. Yes.
A real bonus of this business has been your being able to travel. Al passed away in 1978, but he had really realized his dream of traveling and seeing the places he had read about. What would an Allen family travel history look like today? The places you have been to.
Well my sons are able to travel now being connected with the travel business and I believe really the reason they did go into the travel business was because I’m sure some of the trips we were able to take them on did rub off, as you might say, because they took trips to Australia, where we stopped in Tahiti. We took them to Hong Kong, Japan, 2 trips to Europe. These were all after we entered the travel business and after they became the travel age.
And then you like to spend Christmas in Hawaii?
We spent 4 Christmases in Hawaii.
You said 2 trips around the world. How many trips to Europe? Do you have any idea?
Well, I wouldn’t have any idea, but it would be quite a number. We go to Europe at least once a year. I go to Hawaii at least once, if not twice a year just to familiarize yourself with the new hotels, the new tours that are being offered.
You also traveled a lot in our country, I presume?
Yes, quite a bit in this country since we’ve been in the travel business, Yes.
I know you have to have a host of those memories of those trips. How about any rather unpleasant ones? Do any standout especially?
Well, there are almost always frustrating experiences connected with most any trip and we had a few, but you forgot those after you got everything fixed up. But I recall once we had the whole family and we had had our smallpox vaccinations and when we arrived in Sydney, Australia, they had advised us that the health seal had not been placed on our vaccination records. As a result, we were confined there for several hours. They brought in a doctor and gave us all a new shot which was exasperating at the time but afterwards we laughed about it and thought it was funny. Also, one time in Europe I lost my passport by looking out a train window. My passport was in a flight bag, and it went about 300 miles down the road. And not being able to speak the language very well we tried to tell the agent we were going to a small town to visit some relatives of mine and he made it very clear that that flight bag would come back with the passport in it. But we could hardly believe such a thing, but it did come back at 6:00 that night. It was on the train to the small town in Germany and it was still one of those unbelievable things that happened to us.
You mentioned that your luggage went out ahead of you and you were stranded and doing laundry in a motel sink.
Yes, we were held up in Los Angeles for 3 days and 2 nights. We didn’t know where our luggage was. We were on our way to Japan and Hong Kong so each day I would do a little laundry to get us by one more day thinking the plane would be going the next day and if it didn’t, we had damp laundry all the way. That’s one of the little things that happened that you can’t avoid.
That’s right. How about the travel business today? Is it still prospering?
I believe you would say it is prospering because everybody likes to fly and likes to go on Caribbean cruises. My son, John, is just organizing one where he is taking 90 passengers and they have become very popular. You get probably the most for your money on a cruise and people are not afraid to fly anymore.
And have fares really changed?
Yes, the fares are very good. They are in the process right now. You can go almost anywhere in the US for under $200 round trip.
You mentioned that the fare to Chicago today is how much?
The fare to Chicago today is $109. When Mr. Allen and I started in the travel business it was $20 each way. Today it is $109.
That has gone up then, hasn’t it?
Yes, it has!
And of course, the steamships, do you do any steamship business?
No, we don’t really. There are ships going all over the world, it is true, but we do very little steamship business. Unless you are really a steamship passenger and really like it but to go around the world on a steamship, you have to allow at least 2 months.
How about the Atlantic crossing? Are there any doing that?
We haven’t sold an Atlantic crossing for maybe years.
Well thank you so much Louise for sharing these armchairs travels. They are food for thought to feed our winter daydreams as well as an interesting history on the growth not only of the Allen Travel Agency but the travel industry as a whole. May it continue to prosper and grow, and we have been happy to have you listeners aboard to share the story with.